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April in the Kitchen – Toasty Cauliflower Cream and Cheese

Spurred by the success of my roast cabbage steaks with cream and cheese, I took on the challenge of remaking a dish for cauliflower cheese and “fully loaded cauliflower”. Creamed cauliflower or cauliflower cheese is a popular side, it can also be the star of a vegetarian dinner. The recipe usually involves steaming the cauliflower, making a white or cheese sauce, then baking in the oven. For “fully loaded cauliflower” you add additonal cheese, sour cream, bacon and scallions. Bet you have already figured out it’s meant to be a replacement for a fully loaded baked potato, I can feel my waistline expanding!

All that is too much work for a midweek dinner, for me at least. And, I prefer some toasty crunchy bits of cauliflower, which doesn’t happen if you steam or boil it.

But it is one of my favorites and one of my English grandmother’s as well. There is quite a lot of nostalgia in this recipe. She really did love a good white sauce, but I think she would like this one even without the sauce.

This recipe is the result of experiments to simplify the recipe (as well as take out some calories). My family really enjoyed the cabbage steaks I made a few weeks ago, could I do the same with cauliflower?

Toasty Cauliflower Cream and Cheese

1 large head of cauliflower, rinsed, patted dry, then cut into “steaks” about 3/4 inch thick

1/2 cup of heavy cream

1/2 cup of finely grated parmesan

1/2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese

Cauliflower Steaks

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F

Line a large sheet pan or baking dish with parchment paper, or butter a gratin dish.

Place the cauliflower steaks, in one layer, on the parchment paper or in the gratin dish. Drizzle each steak with heavy cream, concentrating the cream in the center (it will run out, that’s ok).

Sprinkle each slice with parmesan and cheddar cheese.

Roast for 25-30 minutes.

Use a spatula to carefully transfer a slice to each plate.

Cauliflower steaks with cheese

You can also bake this in a gratin dish.

Toasty Cauliflower Cream and Cheese

And, if you are feeling very decadent, turn this into a dish of “fully loaded cauliflower” with the addition of bacon and some sliced scallions.

Fully Loaded Cauliflower

Crispy bits of cauliflower, toasty cheese, creamy center…and all in about 30 minutes start to finish (most of which was in the oven). Winner!